Place the water and quinoa in sauce pan and bring to boil. One it starts to boil cover with lid and bring to a low simmer and cook until all the water is gone and the quina is cooked. Fluff with a fork and let cool.
Mix olive oil, lemon, salt and cumin together and set aside. Once the quinoa is cooled add cucumber, tomatoes and herbs and stir to blend. Add lemon/oil mixture and stir. Chill.

Monday, November 10, 2014

The flavors in this dish are really good. I served it with rice for the boys and kept it more in line with a Paleo dish for my husband and myself. My 15 year old is even enjoying it.

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into small
chunks
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt, I just added some to the chicken with the poultry seasoning.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups sugar pumpkin -- peeled, seeded and cubed
1 yam or sweet potato peeled and cubed I used a yam, I like the color and flavor but either would work
2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped.
1 tablespoon butter1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ginger (I use the one out of the squeeze tube) You can use fresh our store was out of ginger and I had the tube.
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tsp curry
1 can canned coconut milk
1 cups chicken broth
salt to taste

Season the chicken pieces with poultry seasoning and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken to the skillet; cook and stir until browned on the outside and cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Melt the butter in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and ginger; cook and stir until onion is transparent. Season with coriander, cumin and curry. Continue to cook and stir until spices are fragrant. Add pumpkin, cooked chicken, coconut milk and chicken broth. Season with salt to taste. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until pumpkin and yams are soft over medium heat.

Monday, October 20, 2014

I cannot remember where I got this recipe from and I feel horrible because they really need the credit. This has got to be one of the best carrot cake recipes ever.

3 cups finely grated carrots (not pre-shredded)

2 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

4 eggs, well beaten

1 3/4 cups canola oil

1 tsp good quality vanilla

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, semi-drained

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

3/4 cup butter (12 Tbsp) butter, softened

1 (16 oz) pkg + 1 1/2 cup extra confectioners' sugar

1 tsp good quality vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 cup chopped pecan pieces (optional for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two, 9" cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and flour to cover. Next cut out parchment paper circles (for extra insurance), and fit the circles in the bottom of the pans. This will ensure that the cakes will not stick to the pans.

Go ahead and take the 4 eggs out so they can come to room temperature. Let's start grating those carrots. You do NOT want to use pre-grated carrots. They are too heavy, too dense, and too dry for this recipe. They will just fall to the bottom of the batter. You also do not want to put them in the food processor, as this will make them too wet. For this, my friends, you need to go old school and pull out the hand grater. Now I'm sure you are aware that hand graters come in various sizes for the actual grating. We want finely grated carrots for this recipe. That means, use your fine grater. Yes, I'm aware that one takes longer. But these will just about melt into the batter and be so tender that you will thank me!

Combine the first 7 ingredients. I suggest doing this in a stand mixer, as this makes a pretty stiff batter at the beginning. Combine all those ingredients first. It may seem pretty stiff with all the carrots. Next, stir in the beaten eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mixing well. Now load it up with the extra goodies - the coconut and semi-drained pineapple. Mix well to incorporate, then pour the batter into the 3 prepared (greased and floured) 9-inch round cake pans that we fit the parchment rounds into.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle. You should also see the cake pulling away from the sides of the pan slightly. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes on wire cooling racks. Then run a knife around the edges, invert onto a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely before you try to frost them.

Make the cream cheese frosting while you wait for the cake layers to cool. Combine the cream cheese and butter, beating until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and beat until light and fluffy. This will take a WHILE! The cream cheese has to soften and heat up before it will allow itself to aerate and get fluffy and expand. It will like.... double... but only if you give it ample TIME... like about TEN MINUTES in the stand mixer!

Spread frosting between each other layers, then the top, then the sides. Add about a cup or so of pecan pieces to the frosting. If you don't like nuts, or if someone has a nut allergy, leave them off.

This is a really good Taste of Home recipe, I just changed it a little, really just a tiny bit, not much at all.
1/2 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)

1/4 cup eggnog

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and
sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each
addition. Beat in bananas, eggnog and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour,
baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and baking soda; gradually
beat into banana mixture.

Transfer to a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan; sprinkle with a
little nutmeg and cinnamon mixture nutmeg. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a
toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing
to a wire rack to cool. 1 loaf

Saturday, June 28, 2014

I seen this recipe and figured I would have to try it, I mean come on if John Wayne liked it then it has to be good. :) I changed it just a little. I used fresh jalapenos that I chopped and cooked with the onions and bell pepper. My husband loved it, I won't tell you how much he just ate. He does not eat a lot of bread so he ate around it.

Refrigerate a metal bowl for 5 minutes to get it cold.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In the refrigerated bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, sugar and salt. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter in with the flour mixture until the butter is mostly mixed in. It is okay if there are small pieces of butter.
Make a well in the flour, in the center of the bowl. Add the egg and buttermilk to the well. Using a wooden spoon, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the fruit and mix just until blended, being careful not to overmix.
Put about 1/2 cup of flour on the cupboard. Turn the dough out onto the floured counter. Turn it over so the floured side is up. Make a disk that is about 1 1/4 inches thick. Use a knife to cut the disk into 8 triangles, as if you were cutting a pie. Place the scones on a greased cookie sheet, or a nonstick baking mat.
Bake immediately for 12-14 minutes. Allow the scones to cool for 10 minutes and prepare the glaze.
In a small bowl, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter. Add in the powdered sugar and lemon . Mix well. If needed, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk in order to easily spoon the glaze over the scones.
Glaze the top of the scones. The glaze will run over the sides of the warm scones.

Friday, June 27, 2014

I got that phone call no mother wants to hear on my way home from work this morning at 5:45 am. My husband wll call me some times as I am on my way home asking if I can bring him something to eat and a coffee so I figured that is what it was when my phone rang, I was just shocked he remembered I went in a hour early to get off work early. But that was not the reason he called. I have a very senitive nose so he wanted to warn me before I got there that my son had been throwing up and did not make it to the bathroom. So me and my buddy Mister Clorox cleaned the bathroom they I texted my husband to pick up a carpet cleaning machine so I could clean carpets when I got up. So I have been cleaning carpets all morning. I love clean carpet! So I wanted something easy to make for dinner and I remembered I had some frozen breaded chicken patties in the freezer leftover from camping. So I picked up a few other things while I was at the store and made these Cordon Bleu sandwiches. My son had chicken soup and crackers.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2013/05/crock-pot-cashew-chicken.html
I made this crock pot Cashew Chicken today and it was really good. I changed it just a little. I will have to make it again since my husband started the crock pot a little early(2 1/2 hours) so the chicken is a little dry and not as much sauce. I think I will double the sauce next time. Up above it the link to the recipe I used and down below is my small change. Next time I will add celery and pea pods.

I have to admit, I forgot to use the sauce and it was still really good.

Mix together the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Cut the beef into long thin strips, then stir it into the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. About an hour before serving, mix together the sauce ingredients and refrigerate. Then soak the wood skewers in a water bath. (This will keep them from catching on fire during grilling).
About 20 minutes before serving, thread the meat onto the skewers, baste the meat with some of the marinade, then discard the excess.
Grill for about 6 to 7 minutes on each side over direct high heat, only turning once. serve with spicy dipping sauce.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
3/4 cups unsalted butter at room tempture
1/2 c sugar
1 extra large egg yolk
1 t pure vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 spray bottom and sides of 12" tart pan. Wrap the outside with foil covering the bottom and all the way up the side.
Mix flour and salt together.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on high until creamy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat until blended. Reduce spead to low and add flour blend until flour disappears and a dough forms. Work the dough with your hands until the dough comes together in a ball. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Flour your hands and put the dough in the center of the pan. Press dough into the bottom and up the sides of pan. Prick crust with a fork a few times. Bake until the crust sets and turns golden, do not overbake. About 10 minutes. Leave the crust in the pan and transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.
I am horrible about measuring but I made sure to measure almost everything.

I like to make my own with heavy cream but if I don't have the time I use cool whip
Whip cream cheese and sugar together until smooth, beat on high until light, slow down mixer and add sour cream, mix until blended, fold in whip cream. Add to cooled crust.

Fruit of your choice
Apricot perserve
Slice fruit and layer on top of cream cheese mixtue. Heat Apricot and brush on top. Chill for a few hours.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

I have the day off from work today which gave me the great idea to go hiking at Point Lobos, it is one of my favorite places to hike . The three I went with gave up after two hours and were ready to leave. I guess we will have to hike Yosemite the next time I have two days off together.

Anyhow, lets get back to my recipe. I always get in trouble because I will make up recipes and not write them down, well today I did and boy am I glad I did. You are going to love these. I had some stuff left over from Christmas I needed to use up and that is how this recipe was invented.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats , ground nuts and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.Roll into ball use your tumb to make a dent in the center of dough, use a pastry bag and fill with Dulce de Leche, use a little more dough to cover the Dulce de Leche, make sure none of the Dulce de Leche is showing. Flatten slightly and put on lightly greased cookie sheets.Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the broth and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Warm the garlic and olive oil to blend the flavors. In a separate dish, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip the chicken breasts in the olive oil and garlic mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Scrape the insides out of one vanilla pod and add it as well. If you do not have a vanilla pod you can skip this step.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9 inch round warm glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk. vanilla and vanilla paste from pod if using until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely.

To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool.

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, then add the cornstarch, whisking until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.

FOR THE SALMON

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the salmon fillets on the pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of sesame oil over the salmon and season with pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the carrots and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the carrots begin to soften. Add the bok choy and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the leaves are wilted. Add the edamame and cook for another minute, until warmed through.
To serve, divide the vegetable mixture between 4 plates and drizzle with some of the sesame-soy glaze. Top each pile of vegetables with a salmon fillet and spoon the remaining glaze over the top
Here is a link to the recipehttp://www.mydailymorsel.com/2013/06/17/asian-slow-roasted-salmon/

Sunday, June 9, 2013

So I made the pork and it is really good (link for pork right below photo). I was thinking about making taco's with it but I went with Nachos, they were so good. I added cheese, pinto beans and more cheese, jalapenos and avocado.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Crust
I used a chilled package of sugar cookie dough and added about 1/4 cup flour and about 1/2 cup sliced almonds. Mix well and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until light golden brown.
1 8oz package soften cream cheese
1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt (or vanilla would be good)
Apricot Jamstrawberries
Blueberries
Blackberriesre
Kiwi
Any fruit you like.
Pour cream cheese mixture into chilled crust. Top with fruit. Heat up Apricot Jam and brush on top of fruit. Chill for at least an hour.

I have to say it is great to hear your teen boy ask if I put Wasabi in my mashed potatoes, I was out of Wasabi so the answer was no. It is my favorite way to have mashed potatoes; I only add the tops of green onions when I make it this way and not gravy.decided it was time to make a Sunday Roast today. The great thing about making roast on a Sunday I can just shove it in the oven and then only have a few small things to do when I get home from church. My oven is still broken so I had to use the church oven.I made two small roast so I can have dinners for the next few days unless someone eats it all before. I have to be at work at midnight and figured I would be coming home to bed right after work so this will save some time.My roast is just a super easy recipe.RoastSaltPepper2 large onions Salt and pet is super roast and slice up the onion and throw it on top of roast in a dutch oven along with about a 1/2 a water, cover. Put in a 350 oven for a few hours, about 15 minutes before it is done remove lid and set oven to 400. Set aside for about 15 minutes. This way you can get the rest of your stuff ready for the table and it helps the roast stay moist.Gravy, I did this one really easy, I removed the roast from the pan and onto a plate. I added about a half cup of flour and stirred and cooked it for a few minutes and then added enough water to make a somewhat thick gravy, not too thick because it will thicken while it sits.The recipe for my tart is below, (if you are on my facebook page, if not I will post it above this recipe) I did add some honey to the cream cheese and I used a vanilla honey Greek yogurt this time and it was much better than the plain Greek yogurt. I also used my shortbread cookie recipe for the crust; I like the sugar cookie recipe much better.

Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Fry the tortillas in a oil for about a minute on each side to make them pliable. Tortillas may also be warmed in a microwave oven. Arrange two or three tortillas on a plate, and lay a generous amount of beef over them. Top with a sprinkle of the onion relish. Add as much cheese as you like. Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.

My husband who does not like fish ate so many of these we had to hide some for the other. I made beef tacos also and these are the ones that went fast.
Beer Batter Cod
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 quart oil for frying1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas1/2 medium head cabbage, finely shreddedTo make white sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).Fry fish until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Lightly fry tortillas; not too crisp. To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Another really good Weight Watcher meal. This is 9 points per serving. You know it is good when your kids eat it without complaining. :) Ichanged the recipe a little but nothing that would effect the points.
I finsihed my first week on WW with a 8.6 pound weightloss, every night I made a WW meal.
I went over on my points one day and used all my extra weekly points. My goal this week is to not go over and to save all my extra points for the WW carrot cake I plan on making for Easter.

Soak noodles in cold water for 1 hour. Place chicken in a small bowl and cover with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce; set aside. Steam broccoli and carrot until crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately immerse in cold water; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in another small bowl, combine remaining 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 3 tablespoons of lime juice, sugar, water and ginger; mix well and set aside. Coat a large wok or skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium-high heat; add 2 teaspoons of oil. When hot, add chicken; cook, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm; set aside. Drain noodles thoroughly. Off heat, coat same wok or skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium-high heat; add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. When hot, sauté garlic and chili pepper until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add noodles and fish sauce mixture; cook, stirring, until sauce is mostly absorbed, about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken and peanuts; remove from heat. Add remaining tablespoon of lime juice, bean sprouts and cilantro; mix well. Serve immediately. Yields about 2 cups per serving.

In a medium glass bowl, combine ginger, garlic, hoisin sauce, orange juice, soy sauce and pepper; add chicken and turn to coat with marinade. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
When ready to cook, soak 12 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes (or use metal skewers).
I grilled mine on a cast iron grill to give the grill mark before cooking in the oven.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil to catch drippings; place a wire rack over prepared pan.
Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade. Thread 3 pieces of chicken onto each skewer and place on wire rack; cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, spoon reserved marinade into a small saucepan; stir in honey. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat; boil for at least 1 minute to kill any bacteria.
After chicken has cooked for 10 minutes, remove from oven and generously brush with boiled marinade. Flip skewers and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Place on a serving platter and garnish with scallions. Yields 2 skewers per serving.

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Welcome

Hello and thanks for stopping by.

My name is April I have been married for over 28 years (June 6, 1981) We have six kids, Brandi (27), Kristine (26) Kimberly(23) (Eric, Noah), David(18), Jacob(13) and Daniel (10). We also have one Grandson Noah.

As you can tell I love to cook and I also love to take pictures so this blog has been a lot of fun. It started as a way for me to share recipes with my daughters and then I found all the other wonderful food blogs on line and it has been a blast. I hope you enjoy my recipes and stop by and look at my family pictures and try some of the recipes.

I am still learning a lot about blogging so bare with me and I hope you enjoy my blog as well as all the recipes I share with you.